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Tran A, Wang A, Mickaill J, Strbenac D, Larance M, Vernon ST, Grieve SM, Figtree GA, Patrick E, Yang JYH. Construction and optimization of multi-platform precision pathways for precision medicine. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4248. [PMID: 38378802 PMCID: PMC10879206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54517-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
In the enduring challenge against disease, advancements in medical technology have empowered clinicians with novel diagnostic platforms. Whilst in some cases, a single test may provide a confident diagnosis, often additional tests are required. However, to strike a balance between diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness, one must rigorously construct the clinical pathways. Here, we developed a framework to build multi-platform precision pathways in an automated, unbiased way, recommending the key steps a clinician would take to reach a diagnosis. We achieve this by developing a confidence score, used to simulate a clinical scenario, where at each stage, either a confident diagnosis is made, or another test is performed. Our framework provides a range of tools to interpret, visualize and compare the pathways, improving communication and enabling their evaluation on accuracy and cost, specific to different contexts. This framework will guide the development of novel diagnostic pathways for different diseases, accelerating the implementation of precision medicine into clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Tran
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Andy Wang
- Westmead Medical Institute, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Jamie Mickaill
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- School of Computer Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Dario Strbenac
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark Larance
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Stephen T Vernon
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Kolling Institute of Medical Research, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Stuart M Grieve
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Department of Radiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Gemma A Figtree
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Kolling Institute of Medical Research, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Ellis Patrick
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H), Science Park, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jean Yee Hwa Yang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Sydney Precision Data Science Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
- Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H), Science Park, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Menéndez V, Solórzano JL, García-Cosío M, Alonso-Alonso R, Rodríguez M, Cereceda L, Fernández S, Díaz E, Montalbán C, Estévez M, Piris MA, García JF. Immune and stromal transcriptional patterns that influence the outcome of classic Hodgkin lymphoma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:710. [PMID: 38184757 PMCID: PMC10771441 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51376-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is characterized by a rich immune microenvironment as the main tumor component. It involves a broad range of cell populations, which are largely unexplored, even though they are known to be essential for growth and survival of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells. We profiled the gene expression of 25 FFPE cHL samples using NanoString technology and resolved their microenvironment compositions using cell-deconvolution tools, thereby generating patient-specific signatures. The results confirm individual immune fingerprints and recognize multiple clusters enriched in refractory patients, highlighting the relevance of: (1) the composition of immune cells and their functional status, including myeloid cell populations (M1-like, M2-like, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, etc.), CD4-positive T cells (exhausted, regulatory, Th17, etc.), cytotoxic CD8 T and natural killer cells; (2) the balance between inflammatory signatures (such as IL6, TNF, IFN-γ/TGF-β) and MHC-I/MHC-II molecules; and (3) several cells, pathways and genes related to the stroma and extracellular matrix remodeling. A validation model combining relevant immune and stromal signatures identifies patients with unfavorable outcomes, producing the same results in an independent cHL series. Our results reveal the heterogeneity of immune responses among patients, confirm previous findings, and identify new functional phenotypes of prognostic and predictive utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Menéndez
- Translational Research, Fundación MD Anderson International España. Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain
| | - José L Solórzano
- Translational Research, Fundación MD Anderson International España. Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain
- Pathology Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, C/Arturo Soria, 270, 28033, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mónica García-Cosío
- Pathology Department, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, 28034, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ruth Alonso-Alonso
- Pathology Department, IIS Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), ISCIII, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Rodríguez
- Pathology Department, IIS Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), ISCIII, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Cereceda
- Translational Research, Fundación MD Anderson International España. Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain
- Pathology Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, C/Arturo Soria, 270, 28033, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Fernández
- Translational Research, Fundación MD Anderson International España. Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain
- Pathology Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, C/Arturo Soria, 270, 28033, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva Díaz
- Translational Research, Fundación MD Anderson International España. Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Montalbán
- Hematology Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mónica Estévez
- Hematology Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel A Piris
- Pathology Department, IIS Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), ISCIII, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan F García
- Translational Research, Fundación MD Anderson International España. Madrid, 28033, Madrid, Spain.
- Pathology Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, C/Arturo Soria, 270, 28033, Madrid, Spain.
- Center for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), ISCIII, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
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Choi JE, Lee JS, Jin MS, Nikas IP, Kim K, Yang S, Park SY, Koh J, Yang S, Im SA, Ryu HS. The prognostic value of a combined immune score in tumor and immune cells assessed by immunohistochemistry in triple-negative breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:134. [PMID: 37924153 PMCID: PMC10625207 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01710-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study aimed to develop a novel combined immune score (CIS)-based model assessing prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS The expression of eight immune markers (PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2, IDO, TIM3, OX40, OX40L, and H7-H2) was assessed with immunohistochemistry on the tumor cells (TCs) and immune cells (ICs) of 227 TNBC cases, respectively, and subsequently associated with selected clinicopathological parameters and survival. Data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were further examined to validate our findings. RESULTS All immune markers were often expressed in TCs and ICs, except for PD-1 which was not expressed in TCs. In ICs, the expression of all immune markers was positively correlated between one another, except between PD-L1 and OX40, also TIM3 and OX40. In ICs, PD-1, PD-L1, and OX40L positive expression was associated with a longer progression-free survival (PFS; p = 0.040, p = 0.020, and p = 0.020, respectively). In TCs, OX40 positive expression was associated with a shorter PFS (p = 0.025). Subsequently, the TNBC patients were classified into high and low combined immune score groups (CIS-H and CIS-L), based on the expression levels of a selection of biomarkers in TCs (TCIS-H or TCIS-L) and ICs (ICIS-H or ICIS-L). The TCIS-H group was significantly associated with a longer PFS (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the ICIS-H group was additionally associated with a longer PFS (p < 0.001) and overall survival (OS; p = 0.001), at significant levels. In the multivariate analysis, both TCIS-H and ICIS-H groups were identified as independent predictors of favorable PFS (p = 0.012 and p = 0.001, respectively). ICIS-H was also shown to be an independent predictor of favorable OS (p = 0.003). The analysis of the mRNA expression data from TCGA also validated our findings regarding TNBC. CONCLUSION Our novel TCIS and ICIS exhibited a significant prognostic value in TNBC. Additional research would be needed to strengthen our findings and identify the most efficient prognostic and predictive biomarkers for TNBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Eun Choi
- Department of Pathology, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Seok Lee
- Department of Pathology, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Sun Jin
- Department of Pathology, Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ilias P Nikas
- School of Medicine, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Kwangsoo Kim
- Transdisciplinary Department of Medicine and Advanced Technology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunah Yang
- Transdisciplinary Department of Medicine and Advanced Technology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Young Park
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiwon Koh
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - Sohyeon Yang
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - Seock-Ah Im
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Translational Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
| | - Han Suk Ryu
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Pharmonoid Co., Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Integrated Analysis of C16orf54 as a Potential Prognostic, Diagnostic, and Immune Marker across Pan-Cancer. DISEASE MARKERS 2022; 2022:9365046. [PMID: 36118669 PMCID: PMC9481382 DOI: 10.1155/2022/9365046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Chromosome 16 open reading frame 54 (C16orf54) is a protein coding gene, showing a biased expression in the bone marrow, lymph node, and 11 other tissues. Reports on the function of C16orf54 in the onset and development of tumours remain scarce. Clinical information and tumour expression profile data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) were utilized to determine the relationship between C16orf54 expression and prognosis, diagnosis, immune microenvironment, heterogeneity, and stemness across pan-cancer. The findings ascertained that C16orf54 was expressed at a low level in most cancers. Furthermore, C16orf54 could distinguish between cancer and normal tissues with high accuracy in most cancers, and the prognostic significance of low C16orf54 mRNA levels differs across cancers. C16orf54 expression was positively linked to the stromal, immune, and ESTIMATE scores. On the other hand, C16orf54 was reported to be negatively correlated with tumour purity in most cancers. Further, C16orf54 expression was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration and the expression of immune regulatory genes, including chemokines, receptors, major histocompatibility complexes, immune inhibitory, and immune stimulatory genes, in most cancers. Additionally, C16orf54 expression was significantly associated with tumour heterogeneity indicators, such as tumour mutation burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI), and was significantly correlated with DNAss and RNAss tumour stemness indicators. Moreover, Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, as well as Gene Set Enrichment analysis (GSEA), revealed that C16orf54 expression was closely linked to the signalling pathways of immune cells and factors. The integrated analysis of C16orf54 indicates it as a potential prognostic, diagnostic, and immune marker, which could be adopted as a novel target for adjuvant immunotherapy across pan-cancer.
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Liu S, Yan L, Zhang Y, Junaid M, Wang J. Toxicological effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and perfluorooctanoic acid to Gambusia affinis. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 127:1100-1112. [PMID: 35835386 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2022.06.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plastic pollution has attracted huge attention from public and scientific community in recent years. In the environment, nanoplastics (NPs, <100 nm) can interact with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and may exacerbate associated toxic impacts. The present study aims to explore the single and combined ecotoxicological effects of PFOA and polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs, 80 nm) on the PI3K/AKT3 signaling pathway using a freshwater fish model Gambusia affinis. Fish were exposed individually to PS-NPs (200 μg/L) and PFOA (50, 500, 5000 μg/L) and their chemical mixtures for 96 h. Our results showed that the co-exposure significantly altered the mRNA relative expression of PI3K, AKT3, IKKβ and IL-1β, compared to corresponding single exposure and control groups, indicating that the PFOA-NP co-exposure can activate the PI3K/AKT3 signaling pathway. The bioinformatic analyses showed that AKT3 had more probes and exhibited a significantly sensitive correlation with DNA methylation, compared to other genes (PIK3CA, IKBKB, and IL1B). Further, the mRNA expressions of PIK3CA, AKT3, and IKBKB had a significant correlation with copy number variation (CNV) in human liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). And PIK3CA had the highest mutation rate among other genes of interest for LIHC. Moreover, AKT3 showed a relatively lower expression in TAM and CAF cells, compared to PIK3CA, IKBKB, and IL1B. Besides, hsa-mir-155-5p was closely correlated with AKT3, PIK3CA, IKBKB, and IL1B. In summary, these results provide evidence that NPs could enhance the carcinogenic effects of POPs on aquatic organisms and highlight possible targets of LIHC induced by PFOA-NP co-exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shulin Liu
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Lei Yan
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Yanling Zhang
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Muhammad Junaid
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Jun Wang
- College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Institute of Eco-Environmental Research, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, 530007, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, 528478, China.
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6
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Wang D, He N, Liu Y, Pang R, Dilixiati M, Wumaier A. Influencing factors of depressive symptoms in patients with malignant tumour. J Int Med Res 2021; 49:3000605211062450. [PMID: 34894827 PMCID: PMC8669887 DOI: 10.1177/03000605211062450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the influencing factors of depressive symptoms in malignant tumour patients. METHODS Participants were 2079 inpatients with malignant tumour (1291: depressive symptoms; 788 no depressive symptoms). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to evaluate sociodemographic and clinical factors influencing depressive symptoms. RESULTS Risk factors were family income ≤5000 yuan (odds ratio [OR]: 4.966, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.938-8.395) and 5001-10,000 yuan (OR: 3.111, 95% CI: 1.840-5.260); Karnofsky Performance Status of 70 (OR: 2.783, 95% CI: 1.281-6.042) and 80 (OR: 1.834, 95% CI: 1.139-2.953); disease course ≤1 year; palliative treatment (OR: 2.288, 95% CI: 1.292-4.055); progressive disease (OR: 1.876, 95% CI: 1.284-2.739); pain (OR: 1.973, 95% CI: 1.555-2.505); cancer type: lung (OR: 3.199, 95% CI: 1.938-5.279), oesophagus (OR: 3.288, 95% CI: 1.673-6.464), cervix (OR: 1.542, 95% CI: 1.056-2.253) and partial knowledge of disease condition (OR: 2.366, 95% CI: 1.653-3.385). Return to work (OR: 0.503, 95% CI: 0.348-0.727) and physical exercise (OR: 0.437, 95% CI: 0.347-0.551) were protective against depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Several factors affected depressive symptoms in malignant tumour patients, including income, disease type and course, palliative treatment, return to work and physical exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongmei Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.,Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Nana He
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yuwu Liu
- Morphological Center, College of Basic Medicine, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Rui Pang
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Meikereayi Dilixiati
- Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Ainiwaer Wumaier
- Department of Pharmacology, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
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Kim Y, Kang JW, Kang J, Kwon EJ, Ha M, Kim YK, Lee H, Rhee JK, Kim YH. Novel deep learning-based survival prediction for oral cancer by analyzing tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte profiles through CIBERSORT. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1904573. [PMID: 33854823 PMCID: PMC8018482 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1904573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) within mucosal neoplastic tissue in oral cancer (ORCA) is greatly influenced by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Here, a clustering method was performed using CIBERSORT profiles of ORCA data that were filtered from the publicly accessible data of patients with head and neck cancer in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) using hierarchical clustering where patients were regrouped into binary risk groups based on the clustering-measuring scores and survival patterns associated with individual groups. Based on this analysis, clinically reasonable differences were identified in 16 out of 22 TIL fractions between groups. A deep neural network classifier was trained using the TIL fraction patterns. This internally validated classifier was used on another individual ORCA dataset from the International Cancer Genome Consortium data portal, and patient survival patterns were precisely predicted. Seven common differentially expressed genes between the two risk groups were obtained. This new approach confirms the importance of TILs in the TME and provides a direction for the use of a novel deep-learning approach for cancer prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeongjoo Kim
- Interdisplinary Program of Genomic Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Wan Kang
- Interdisplinary Program of Genomic Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Junho Kang
- Interdisplinary Program of Genomic Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jung Kwon
- Interdisplinary Program of Genomic Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Mihyang Ha
- Interdisplinary Program of Genomic Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Kyeong Kim
- Interdisplinary Program of Genomic Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hansong Lee
- Interdisplinary Program of Genomic Science, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Je-Keun Rhee
- School of Systems Biomedical Science, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun Hak Kim
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
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Mo Z, Liu D, Rong D, Zhang S. Hypoxic Characteristic in the Immunosuppressive Microenvironment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Front Immunol 2021; 12:611058. [PMID: 33679749 PMCID: PMC7928397 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.611058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Generally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exists in an immunosuppressive microenvironment that promotes tumor evasion. Hypoxia can impact intercellular crosstalk in the tumor microenvironment. This study aimed to explore and elucidate the underlying relationship between hypoxia and immunotherapy in patients with HCC. Methods: HCC genomic and clinicopathological datasets were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-LIHC), Gene Expression Omnibus databases (GSE14520) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC-LIRI). The TCGA-LIHC cases were divided into clusters based on single sample gene set enrichment analysis and hierarchical clustering. After identifying patients with immunosuppressive microenvironment with different hypoxic conditions, correlations between immunological characteristics and hypoxia clusters were investigated. Subsequently, a hypoxia-associated score was established by differential expression, univariable Cox regression, and lasso regression analyses. The score was verified by survival and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. The GSE14520 cohort was used to validate the findings of immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoints expression, while the ICGC-LIRI cohort was employed to verify the hypoxia-associated score. Results: We identified hypoxic patients with immunosuppressive HCC. This cluster exhibited higher immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression in the TCGA cohort, while similar significant differences were observed in the GEO cohort. The hypoxia-associated score was composed of five genes (ephrin A3, dihydropyrimidinase like 4, solute carrier family 2 member 5, stanniocalcin 2, and lysyl oxidase). In both two cohorts, survival analysis revealed significant differences between the high-risk and low-risk groups. In addition, compared to other clinical parameters, the established score had the highest predictive performance at both 3 and 5 years in two cohorts. Conclusion: This study provides further evidence of the link between hypoxic signals in patients and immunosuppression in HCC. Defining hypoxia-associated HCC subtypes may help reveal potential regulatory mechanisms between hypoxia and the immunosuppressive microenvironment, and our hypoxia-associated score could exhibit potential implications for future predictive models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuomao Mo
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Daiyuan Liu
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dade Rong
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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